{"id":34470,"date":"2023-12-04T18:24:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T02:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34470"},"modified":"2023-12-04T19:07:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T03:07:17","slug":"the-gifts-of-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-gifts-of-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gifts of Resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, <\/em>by Steven Pressfield came at just the right time. Well, maybe not. It is a curious time to unpack my own resistance when I have so little time to do so. However, I am receiving this opportunity as a timely invitation that can encourage my final writing projects. The end of my semester is rather full. My creative mind wants to be somewhere else rather than tasked with writing final papers. Work responsibilities, my son\u2019s wedding, new grandbabies, Christmas, and all my adult children coming home at various times over the next month is a lot to work around. Along with my studies these are priorities to which I have made unwavering commitments. At the moment resistance feels like a strong headwind slowing me down. I am certainly feeling the thousands of words written so far this semester and wondering if there are any creative juices left to finish well. I find validation in Pressfield\u2019s words, \u201cThe danger is greatest when the finish line is in sight.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Pressfield states in the opening un-numbered pages of his book that we have two lives, \u201cThe life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.\u201d I am curious about what is unlived. This doctoral program is helping me discover it. Yet, I feel caught between these two worlds. I don\u2019t want to miss out on the life I am living. I am struggling to differentiate between my priorities and my resistance. Pressfield goes on to say, \u201cResistance is fear.\u201d[2]<\/a> When I consider resistance as fear it opens up space for me to consider what am I afraid of that keeps me from my writing. He continues, \u201cMaster the fear and we conquer resistance.\u201d[3]<\/a> The only way I know how to do that is to name my fears, challenge them with truth, and make adjustments as needed.<\/p>\n

Naming my Fears<\/em><\/p>\n

Fear: I have not set my priorities straight and neglected some very important people.<\/p>\n

Truth: I know my priorities and they are well set. This is a different season where certain priorities have risen to the top temporarily. My husband and family have been very understanding and accommodating. I have shifted my time and set plans to be with them appropriately and said no to certain things during this season.<\/p>\n

Fear: That my final papers will not be what I hope them to be and won\u2019t perfectly reflect how I am processing my leadership learning or my NPO.<\/p>\n

Truth: Perfect isn\u2019t the goal! I am enjoying my academic journey.<\/p>\n

Fear: I have not managed my time well enough this semester.<\/p>\n

Truth: As I looked over my appointment book and calendar, I notice a reasonable work-study schedule and ample breaks. The travel schedule was a significant challenge this semester. I was away from home for 40-days. This contributed to my regular rhythms being off, illness, and fatigue which I was not expecting.<\/p>\n

Fear: Self-doubt is creeping in.<\/p>\n

Truth: Thankfully, our author is on my side when he writes, \u201cThe counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.\u201d[4]<\/a> Being honest about my fears is far more authentic.<\/p>\n

Fear: I don\u2019t have what it takes.<\/p>\n

Truth: Philippians 4:13 states, \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d I am confident that God has me on this journey and will see me through to the end.<\/p>\n

Fear: I have not been as fully present as I desire to be.<\/p>\n

Truth: There have been times when I have been distracted and not fully present. There have also been times when I was fully present and attentive.<\/p>\n

Fear: I am afraid of isolating too much.<\/p>\n

Truth: This writing process is an invitation to be alone with myself and my God.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Adjustments<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Return to my regular rhythms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Action step: 20 minutes of centering prayer 5-days per week.<\/p>\n

    Action step: Plan a silent retreat for January and June.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pray through my upcoming travel schedule.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Action step: make adjustments as needed.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Rest and enjoy my family over the break.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Befriending Resistance <\/em><\/p>\n

        Pressfield noted that resistance is self-sabotage.[6]<\/a> I don’t necessarily disagree but I would like to challenge that perspective. In counseling we call this a reframe. What happens if I consider resistance my friend? Befriending my resistance means I can accept my humanity and practice self-compassion. Awareness and acceptance of my resistance and procrastination habits means I can do something about them. For example, in moments when I feel unproductive or uninspired, I can rest or focus on something else without judgment, fully trusting that something creative will emerge. Befriending resistance is an invitation to personal growth and change.<\/p>\n

        The Gift of Resistance <\/em><\/p>\n

        Resistance is a reminder that there is something important, a calling perhaps, that needs my attention. If it wasn\u2019t important there would be no resistance. Resistance will always be present. Resistance is an invitation that points me to the God who made me, wants to be with me, and has called me to do creative things only I can do. Pressfield writes, \u201cCreative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It is a gift to the world and every being in it. Don\u2019t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you\u2019ve got.\u201d[7]<\/a> I find these final words personally encouraging. They are an invitation to move past resistance. What I create or write doesn\u2019t have to be perfect because it is a unique expression of myself in this given time and space. I will never be here in this moment again. It is in the working out and the attempt to create something new that gives way for a gift the world just might need.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        [1]<\/a> Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles <\/em>(New York: Black Irish Entertainment LLC, 2002), 18.<\/p>\n

        [2]<\/a> Steven Pressfield, The War of Art, <\/em>55.<\/p>\n

        [3]<\/a> Ibid., 16.<\/p>\n

        [4]<\/a> Ibid., 39.<\/p>\n

        [5]<\/a> Ibid., 144-146.<\/p>\n

        [6]<\/a> Ibid., 19.<\/p>\n

        [7]<\/a> Ibid., 165.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield came at just the right time. Well, maybe not. It is a curious time to unpack my own resistance when I have so little time to do so. However, I am receiving this opportunity as a timely invitation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2940],"class_list":["post-34470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02-pressfield","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34470"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34479,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34470\/revisions\/34479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}